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The NBA Network
The NBA Network is a TV specialty channel that is dedicated to showcasing the sport of basketball in the United States. The network is financially backed by the NBA, which also uses The NBA Network as a way of advertising their out of market package NBA GameCourt & it's partner channel, SC Early years Started in 1995 as The NBA.com Network, the channel which had it's studios @ NBA Entertainment in Secaucus, New Jersey; began a multi-year deal with American TV companies COX Communications, Cablevision & Time Warner on June 28th 2003, allowing the network to expand to 45 million American homes & to 30 different countries. The NBA Network replaced WMFL Corporation's failed NSC on many cable systems after that network shut down a year earlier Programming The NBA Network offers basketball news every day, as well as programming showcasing basketball players' individual lifestyles, life as a basketball team during an NBA season, famous games of the past & LIVE games typically 4 days a week during the NBA season. LIVE games on The NBA Network are subject to local blackout restrictions, since The NBA Network does not have exclusive broadcast rights to any of it's games. Games carried by The NBA Network are always also carried by each team's local rights holder. The channel also shows international games, typically on Saturday evenings, with special emphasis on the Euroleague & the Maccabi Tel Aviv team from Israel. In April of 2005, the channel televised the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) finals for the 1st time. The NBA Network carries @ least 90 regular-season games per season, all broadcast in HD, as well as some 1st-round playoff games. It also broadcasts WNBA games nationally (subject to local blackout). The channel's flagship program is NBA GameTime LIVE, a show in which a host & studio analysts go over the latest news, highlights & look in @ games in progress. The show is LIVE 6 days a week, not airing on most Fridays due to NBA's coverage of The NBA on SC. An edited 1-hour/30-minute version of the broadcast is repeated throughout the late night/early morning hours NBA TV shows * NBA Access * Basketball International * FIBA World Basketball * NBA Action * NBA GameTime LIVE * The NBA Network's Fantasy Hoops * The NBA Network's Hardwood Classics/Greatest Games * NBA Network News in Review * NBA Stories * The NBA Vault * The Run * This Week in the D-League * NBA 360 * The NBA Roundtable International presence In 2002, The NBA Network begin airing in Canada. The network is quite similar to The NBA Network, but has a larger focus on the Toronto Raptors basketball team, due to Canadian content requirements & being the only NBA team in Canada The NBA Network HD The NBA Network HD is a 1080i HD simulcast of The NBA Network. All studio programs & original shows are shot in HD & all LIVE games & recent game rebroadcasts are shown in HD. For programs not available in HD (such as older game footage), unique stylized pillarboxes are used, the NBA logo with "The NBA Network" under it, or alternately, just "The NBA Network" sideways. Both are in black & gray New carriage agreements On April 16th 2009, it was announced that DirecTV & the NBA reached a new carriage agreement. The NBA Network was moved from the satellite TV provider's add on Sports Pack (& premium subscription package NBA GameCourt) to it's lower priced base package Choice Xtra on October 1st, 2009. DirecTV believes the move will make the channel available to an additional 8 million subscribers. On June 4th 2009, it was announced that the NBA & Comcast have reached a deal to move the channel from the cable company's add on Sports Entertainment Package to it's basic level Digital Classic package, by the start of the 2009-10 NBA season. Comcast believes an additional 8 million customers will now have access to the channel. Verizon FiOS added the channel & NBA GameCourt for the 1st time on September 23rd, 2009. The channel also signed new multi-year agreements with Time Warner Cable, Cablevision & DISH Network on October 22nd, 2009. They also reached a new deal with COX Cable earlier this year. With all of the above carriage deals, the NBA believes it will now reach 45 million viewers External links